


Pink and Purple

by Electrikatty



Category: Starlight Brigade
Genre: Angst, Crying, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, description of injury, gender stereotypes, they/them pronouns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-09 20:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19483540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrikatty/pseuds/Electrikatty
Summary: The crew is having a nice day visiting a festival on another planet when Strive runs into some trouble. Doctor Sung to the rescue.





	Pink and Purple

There were many things that were expected to come from freeing the stars, like plenty of feelings of joy and celebration and new pieces of art centered around the stars. Everyone everywhere was reveling in the sky being lit again, celebrating in their own ways, whether that be through dance, music, storytelling, or prayer. What was not expected though was the rise of merchandise.

This is what Strive thought about as they wandered through the marketplace. Commander Meouch said he remembered hearing about this particular planet’s celebration and that it sounded fun. Doctor Sung was unsure of being in the public eye but couldn’t stand Meouch’s pouting, so he said one day out would be fine. He later mentioned to Strive that they all would be in higher spirits after spending some time relaxing anyway. They giggled, thinking that the Doctor had agreed easily because he wanted some time off too.

Since everyone wanted different things, they agreed to split up according to what they wanted to see or do. Doctor Sung and Commander Meouch wanted to talk with the people, but for completely different reasons. Sung wished to make sure that all was well on the planet and secretly feel pride from the joyful tellings of the people that he and his friends had brought. Meouch, though, took to flamboyantly telling stories to children and adults alike about their adventures despite knowing he’d be scolded by Sung later for being so open about saving the stars. Ninja Brian watched from the side with a look of peace yet murderous intent in his eyes for who knows why. Since Lord Phobos just wanted to see the scenery, he stayed back on the ship to do just that while also keeping watch of their things. Havve Hogan chilled in the petting zoo. No one could understand why.

Strive just wanted to look around and admire the happy people around them, thinking to themself _I did this! We did this together!_ They always wished to see the stars again but they never imagined they themself would be the one to start that mission. They smiled, remembering their first meeting with their friends and knowing all would be well as long as they stayed with them.

They looked in awe at all the gorgeous art and fabrics surrounding them. They marveled at how amazing it was that people could take minerals and materials and make them into something so beautiful! A grin was plastered on their face as they looked through a wonderful line of star-patterned clothes.

That’s when they saw it.

It was a simple little piece of clothing. It looked much like their tunic except far more traditionally feminine. It was light pink with sparkles like stars practically radiating from the cloth, and it came down what looked to be as long as their tunic.

They decided they needed it right now.

Carefully, they reached out and grabbed the hanger of the dress. The sparkles looked nearly overwhelming, making them feel the need to cough. It was obvious that it was magic-infused, but it looked like it was covered in stardust that they had back home. Inhaling that stuff would lead anyone to hack up glittering lights for days. They chuckled at a childhood memory of them doing the same.

The fabric was _so soft_ ; it felt like a Woomal pelt that had been retrieved in perfect condition. It was very rare to feel such high-quality wool since all they had back home were either old pelts from times past or the live creatures. Hunting them had been outlawed after they became endangered. It was not too soft, but definitely not rough or slick to the touch.

They quickly scanned the area for the closest changing stall- and the nearest pair of matching shoes- and hopped in, barely missing hitting the door on their rear out of sheer enthusiasm. They ripped their clothes off, always wary of their prismatic core, and carefully pulled on the dress. After smoothing out all the wrinkles and checking how it fell over their core, they took a deep breath and turned to face the mirror.

The smile on Strive’s face made them look as if they were gleaming. There was awe in their eyes as their gaze trailed down their body, taking in every detail. The way everything matched and complemented each other. Their prismatic core shone lightly through the fabric, making it glow even more than before. Their hair was more frantic than usual due to their excitement, but it ended up adding more to the look than taking away.

The simple look did wonders for their self-esteem. They felt wonderful.

Leaving their things in the stall for a minute, they stepped to the front of the store and peeked either way of the living traffic, trying to spot one of their friends. If they were nearby, Strive wanted to show-off their look before making the purchase final, mostly because they wanted to gush about how adorable they looked. Hands interlocked behind them, they stood and scanned the area.

They felt a tap on their shoulder.

Strive turned to come face-to-face with a fire entity. Well, they weren’t sure if they’d call it a face. It technically was, but the “eyes” and “mouth” were simply indents in the flame that was the elemental’s head without any detail, their only defining feature being a hotter color than the rest of his body.

Strive greeted them with a grin. “Hi, there!”

His face became a brighter yellow as he bluntly replied- his voice sounding like a crackling fireplace- “hello.”

Strive didn’t miss the annoyance in his tone. “Can I help you?” they politely asked, hoping their confusion was conveyed clearly.

The man shifted his weight. “You buying that?” he asked while crossing his arms. “You standing near the entrance wearing my merch is making me anxious. Feel like you’re gonna dart away to steal it. I’m gonna have to ask you to change out and make a decision, ma’am.”

Strive immediately flushed royal blue. “Oh- I wasn’t going to- I guess it might look that way. I’ll change right away!” As they moved to shift around the shopkeeper, awareness spread across their features. “‘Ma’am’?”

The man did the elemental equivalent of raising an eyebrow in confusion. “What? I’m obviously not a girl-”

“Yeah, no, that’s not what I meant-” he was looking more peeved by the minute. As he grew annoyed, Strive grew nervous. “You called me ‘ma’am’ even though I’m not a girl. The confusion is understandable; it just tripped me up.”

Both “eyebrows” were raised before they fell into a glare. “Wait, you ain’t a girl. Why are you wearing a _dress_?”

Now it was Strive’s turn to be confused. “I like it, why else would I wear it?” It was getting difficult to hide their own mild frustration, but it was easily overshadowed by their anxiety. They rubbed their neck- a nervous tick.

The shopkeeper’s arms dropped back to his sides, hands forming into fists. He stammered before gathering his thoughts, “This is wrong, I can’t have some kid leaving _my_ shop in one of _my_ dresses.”

Strive wrung a hand around their wrist, nerves becoming fear quickly. Even then, they stood their ground. “Does it matter that much? I just thought it was cute-”

He growled, “yes, it matters! This business, this tradition has been in my family for generations! I can’t have you damaging the reputation we built!”

Strive worried their lip between their teeth, wanting to bite their tongue. No, they decided against it. “You thought I was a girl before I told you I wasn’t, so why does it matter? I just like the dress and wanted to show it to my friends. I wasn’t even going to buy it-”

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Their body went cold. “I-I’m sorry?”

His flame had become a deep blue, his features having gone purple. Strive didn’t know much about flame entities, but they could tell this wasn’t good. “If you aren’t going to make a purchase, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re obstructing my business. You’re causing a scene.”

Strive’s face burned both from shame and the intensity of the heat the man gave off. They stammered, “I’m causing a scene? You’re the one who came and yelled at _me_! I was just trying to have some fun-”

“Get off my _damn property_!” He reached out and grabbed their wrist.

_Hot!_

That was their only thought in their mind as their internal alarm bells went off. They clamped their eyes shut as tears sprung to them and bit their lip hard. It felt like their hand was gonna melt off, become goop in the dirt below them under the heat of the raging purple merchant. They couldn’t hold back a cry of pain.

“ _Hey_!”

All eyes turned to look in the direction of the commanding voice. Both held fear in their hearts. Strive nearly let the tears flow.

Doctor Sung was standing there. It was difficult to tell his expression under his visor, but the anger was as clear as the stars in the sky.

The man scoffed and released Strive with a shove after one final squeeze. They stumbled momentarily and grabbed for their wrist, which they immediately regretted. They opted to simply cradle it against their chest.

Sung gestured toward the changing stall. “Hop out of those clothes, kid. We’re leaving.”

They nodded, gaze hanging low as they hurried away.

As soon as the door was locked, they cried. They shoved their good hand in their face to muffle their sobs, letting the injured arm hang at their side. Their head felt full of wool, nose clogged, hand covered in tears and snot. They hadn’t ugly-cried like this in a while. Made sense it happened on what was supposed to be a nice day, they thought bitterly.

Today was supposed to be fun! Everyone was going to have time to themselves, go enjoy the world around them, see all the sights. But Strive just got bullied and burned. Typical, their mind spat.

They spent a minute collecting themself, wiping their face on the back of their discarded tunic. After taking some time to breathe, they slowly changed, trying their best to work around their injury without much success.

They gazed once more at the dress and slippers, before finally resolving themself to step outside the stall. They held the articles like they were fine, extremely uncommon and fragile treasure. They were afraid of the merchant’s reaction to anything less.

Luckily, the man wasn’t in sight. Only the Doctor stood waiting for them outside the stall. He held his bag open in one hand. “Put ‘em in here.”

Strive blinked. “Wh-”

“The clothes are yours,” he interrupted. “We’re leaving, c’mon.”

Strive looked toward the shopkeeper who had changed into a yellow-green shade, counting coins at his counter glumly. He looked to be muttering to himself.

“Don’t worry, I paid. Let’s bounce.” Sung held the bag open to Strive again. They gently deposited the items in his bag. Sung shut it and threw it on his back. Then he draped an arm over Strive’s shoulders, guiding them both out of the shop, out of the market place in silence. Strive held back tears as well as they could out of shame for their public freakout.

Once out of earshot of the civilians, Sung started to speak, “I got a sweet deal on that dress and shoes. Felt like he owed you a favor.” He chuckled awkwardly.

That was all it took to get Strive going again.

“I-I’m sor-ry,” they cried, shutting their eyes and facing the ground.

“Aw, kid.” He moved to crouch in front of them, hands on their shoulders. “Don’t be sorry about anything. That guy was a-” he stumbled, trying to catch his language, “a jerk. A really big poopy jerk.”

Strive cried through a giggle. They didn’t add anything.

They didn’t see it, but Sung was struggling, grasping at straws. Speeches weren’t his thing, not one bit. Words and feelings were gross and awkward and difficult.

He decided to try something else.

“Strive, look at me.”

Slowly, they did. They nearly gasped.

Sung’s visor was gone, leaving his eyes to reveal everything. The sorrow he felt, pure sympathy for his kid. “Come here,” he said, arms open.

They stuttered a breath in and leaped into the hug. They latched onto him like he might fade away if they let go, and Sung returned the favor even more. The younger ignored the pain they felt in their arm, they just needed to be held. Strive sobbed and sobbed on Sung’s shoulder, feeling like an overflowing well of misery. Too much piled on them for one day. They felt horrible, reacting this way to such a silly thing. Even as they believed otherwise, Sung made them feel valid in their emotions with a simple embrace.

It took time, but eventually Strive released their death-grip on the Doctor and stepped back. They reach to scrub at their face, only to flinch when they realized too late that they used the wrong hand.

“Ah, crap- right. Can I see it?” Sung asked with his hands out in offering. Strive was too spent to argue and laid their hand on one of Sung’s own. He rolled up the sleeve as gently as he could but still got hisses of pain.

As expected, the skin of his wrist had a hand-shaped dark-blue burn all the way around it. It was bleeding some, but it mostly looked like it hurt a lot.

“We’re gonna keep that rolled up to not irritate it anymore, ok?” Sung said. Strive simply nodded and cradled the wrist to their chest again. “We’ll get that fixed up in a jiffy.”

Another nod, and Strive started walking without warning. They were too exhausted. “Hang on, stop.” They turned to Sung, who had stood straight up again and caught up with the kid. “Lemme carry you.”

Strive worried their lip between their teeth. “I-I can walk,” they said, trying and failing to sound confident in themself.

Sung thought for a moment, then said, “I know you can, but can I do this for you?”

Strive stood still, lost in thought, before nodding. “Ok.”

With that, Sung gathered the kid in his arms. He didn’t miss their sigh and the way they huddled closer into the Doctor. He grinned and started walking again. Now, where was the burn cream kept? he wondered.

Strive was thinking of something different. A very simple yet very meaningful thought.

Thank you.

They were asleep before Sung saw the ship in the distance.


End file.
